Surface-drain.



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998,704. Patented July 25, 1911.

DANIEL B. LUTEN, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

' SURFACE-DRAIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1911.

Annlieati'oii filed January 3, i911. Serial No. 600,480.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL B. LUTEN, a citizen "of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Surface-Drains, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates 'to improvements in surfacedrains for bridges and has for its purpose to provide an ethcient meanslof diverting the surface water from the roadway and discharging it into the stream below.

The invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing in which the same refer- 'by means ence characters describe like parts through-. 'out both v1ews;

Figure l is a longitudinal section of a bridge showing my improved drain, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section adjacent the drain. v f

The roadway over a permanent highway bridge is ordinarily made of gravel on earth, easily eroded by running water. The bridge is usually crowned atthe middle so that the surface water ward the ends of the bridge, and it is desirable to provide drains in the gutters to lead the surface water to an outlet, below and prevent its accumulation ,on the road surface. Such a drain is readily provided of a pipe led down through the earth filling and through the masonry abutments: or better by means of an opening formed in the inasonry wall or spandrel bordering the roadway. 1 This opening is readily formed by means of a wooden or metal conduit of thedesired form embedded in the masonry during erection. It is desirable that such a drain should have its outlet below low water in order that its dis charge may be invisible and to prevent discoloration of the masonry. It is also desirable that the drain proceed throughout in, a straight line or nearly so in order that it nay be readily cleared of any obstruction. Thus in F 1 and 2, the bridge 1 supports an earth fill 2 and spandrel walls 3 bounding the roadway 4:. In these walls are formed the drainage opening 5 and channel during a rain, will run to-' leading in a straight line to discharge into the stream at 7 below the water surface 8.

The opening 5 should be approximately. atthe level of the gutter of the roadway or a little below, so that the water may find ready entrance. But even when thus placed, it will not prove effective for any extended length of time because of the tendency of the rushing water to wear away the roadway and rush past the opening to discharge around the end of the wall, ultimately scouring a great rut in the roadway, dangerous to traflic. And no matter how. much below the gutter the bottom of the opening may be placed, the first rush of water that chances topassby the opening, by reason of obstruction or insufficient capacity, will scour the gutter to alower level'than the opening and put an end to its usefulness. This defeet is however wholly overcome in my improvement by means of a beam 9 transverse to the roadway and with its upper surface slightly above the lower edge of the opening, placed on the down-gradeside of the opening. It effectively dams the current that otherwise might pass the opening. And by embedding in this beam a tie 10 from spandrel to-spandrel, they are t ied together, the'better to resist the thrust of the earth between. By this means the spandrels may be made much lighter with saving of material. And by embedding the tie in the lower portion of the beam, the beam itself may be made self supporting so that it may be placed before the filling is added. The device is of course equally applicable to any retaining wall bordering a roadway, whic may be supported by a tie opposite.

I claim;

1. The combination of a drainage channel in a concrete wall (bordered by a roadway above and a stream below, and-extending in a substantially straight line from an inlet at the road surface to an outlet below mean water level, with a curb transverse to the roadway at -tl1 e downgradev side of the inlet its upper edge above the lower and having inlet, said curb containing an edge of the to an anchorage..

embedded tension member joining the wall my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indito an anchorage. ana, this 22nd day of December A. D. one

2. The combination of 'a drain inlet in a thousand nine hundred and ten. wall, Wit-he curb transverse to the wall at DANIEL B. LUTEN. [1 s.] 5 down-glede side of inlet and With its upper Witnesses:

eetge 'ooposite the inlet. FRANK A. FAHLE, J in Witness whereof, I have hereunto set THOMAS W. MCMEANS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, .D. C. 

